It's a striking view the first time you see the behemoth ship, towering 18 decks above the horizon of the surrounding marinas and fishing charters at the Port. At 1,063 feet long --that's one-fifth of mile-- the largest and newest ship in Norwegian's fleet houses 4,500 guests and 1,500 crew.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — For the oldest town in America, St. Augustine has sure come a long way in recent years. The town of 14,000 on Florida's northern Atlantic coast celebrates its 450th birthday in late summer, but locals mostly have been rejoicing over the town's cultural growth.